Medical test information for a patient is normally kept confidential, and is often available only with prior written approval by the patient. In some instances, a person other than the patient may have a need to know, or even a right to know, certain medical test information on the patient, and may need to be able to verify the accuracy of this information by consulting an unbiased source of such information. At one end of the spectrum, this medical test information could include the patient's blood type, serious allergies, and chemicals or medicines known to produce disagreeable reactions in the patient. At the other end of the spectrum, the medical test information could consist of a yes/no answer to a single question, such as whether the most recent medical test of the patient indicates that the patient tested positive, or negative, on a sero-test for the presence of the human immunodeficiency virus ("HIV") or some other sexually transmittable disease ("STD").
A confidential information system for identifying and locating persons who are compatible (a matchmaking system) is disclosed by Shapira in U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,394. Each "candidate" carries a memory device having a transceiver, with the memory device containing a list of personal characteristics, such as personal traits and interests. A local processing unit receives this information from each candidate who is available locally, compares the data received to find compatible persons of opposite gender, and automatically pages the candidates for whom one or more matches is found. An introduction of the matched candidates is then arranged by a telephone call or other communication means that matches their candidate codes. No information, other than the fact that a possible match has been found, the name and address of the other candidate and place and time for a possible meeting, is provided to each candidate.
What is needed is a system for providing controllable access to medical information on a given person where: (1) such access allows the inquiror or requestor, with the approval of the given person, to verify that the identity of the person for which such information is being sought; (2) authorized access to such medical information is controlled by the given person; and (3) unauthorized access to the system will not enable a trespasser to identify whose medical information is being accessed. Preferably, the requestor or inquiror, with the approval of the given person, should be able to obtain the test information, to certify the accuracy of this information, and to determine how current is this information, reasonably promptly, without a formal and time-consuming submission of a written request to a medical provider. Preferably, the system that provides such medical test information, in response to a pre-approved request by the requestor, should preserve the identity of the patient in confidence.